Government
In the United States, each governmental branch has distinct powers and responsibilities, working together to maintain a balance and ensure the government’s proper functioning. If one branch becomes too powerful, it can disrupt this balance and potentially lead to an abuse of power or the government’s breakdown (Schubert, 2022). For example, if the legislative branch were not functioning correctly, it could result in a lack of new laws being passed or existing laws not being updated or repealed, leading to a stagnation in governance.
Judicial Review
Judicial review is critical because it checks on the other branches of government and ensures that their actions align with the Constitution. It allows the Supreme Court to declare laws or executive actions unconstitutional if they violate the rights protected by the Constitution. An example of the importance of judicial review is the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education (1954) (Barnett & Blackman, 2022). In this case, the Supreme Court stated that racial segregation was unlawful in schools while reconsidering the “separate but equal” framework.
Federal Court
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) is an example of a Supreme Court decision affecting modern society. In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that political spending by corporations and unions is protected under the First Amendment as free speech (Barnett & Blackman, 2022). This decision has had a significant impact on campaign finance laws and has allowed for increased corporate influence in elections.
The Federal Court decision that influenced separate states is Roe v. Wade (1973). In this case, the court ruled that a female possesses a right to have an abortion (Barnett & Blackman, 2022). This decision struck down many state laws that restricted or banned abortion and has had a profound impact on reproductive rights and access to abortion services across the country.
State Courts
The impact of varying jurisdictions in state courts can result in unequal processing of crimes and disparities in justice. For example, states may have different sentencing guidelines for the same crime, leading to inconsistent punishments, and some states may have stricter laws and harsher penalties than others. These discrepancies can create an unequal justice system(Schubert, 2022). For instance, some states have decriminalized the possession and use of marijuana. In contrast, others have strict laws and harsh penalties, and individuals face drastically different consequences for the same drug-related offenses, depending on the state.
References
Barnett, R. E., & Blackman, J. (2022). An introduction to constitutional law: 100 Supreme Court cases everyone should know. Aspen Publishing.
Schubert, F. A. (2022). Introduction to law and the legal system. Cengage Learning.